John Chrysostom's use of the Book of Sirach in his homilies on the New Testament
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Authors
De Wet, Chris L, 1982
Issue Date
2010
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
John Chrysostom , Apocryphal book of Sirach
Alternative Title
Abstract
This article examines how and why John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) cites from the
apocryphal book of Sirach in his homilies on the New Testament, and illustrates how he
incorporates these citations in his construction of popular, fourth-century monastic
rhetoric and identity, which was very critical of the classical virtues of patronage and
benefaction as practised in civic society. The nature of the quotations from Sirach in the
homilies are discussed and then delineated into the motifs of: a) almsgiving, good speech
and benefaction; and b) the sin of pride. The motifs of almsgiving, good speech and
benefaction, as well as the pitfalls of the sin of pride, are keystone features of the
monastic rhetoric John utilises; this rhetoric represents a small part in the significant
shift, in late ancient Christianity, from traditional and classical civic values (based on
patronage and benefaction) to a system based on an economic dichotomy that emphasises
the rich and the poor, and the moral requirement that the rich treat the poor with
compassion
Description
Peer reviewed
Citation
De Wet, C. 2010,'John Chrysostom's use of the Book of Sirach in his homilies on the New Testament',
Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol. XXXVI, no. 2, pp. 1-10.
Publisher
Church History Society of Southern Africa
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
1017-0499